Afford Artinya

On the night before the wedding, my fiancé’s female best friend, Marisol Vance, sent me a set of photos. In the photos, she wore the custom haute couture wedding gown I had commissioned, leaning into Lucian Drake’s arms, with a caption meant to provoke me: [Borrowing your groom and your dress for a moment—after all, Lucian said I look better in this than you do.] Soon after, my social feed was flooded with their so-called wedding photos. In the images, the two of them staged a mock kiss, the caption reading: [More than friends, not quite lovers. If we had been born ten years earlier, there would have been no place for anyone else.] I held up the photos and confronted Lucian, yet he played his game indifferently, then tossed his phone aside, his face full of impatience. “I told you, it was just for fun—a way to commemorate our youth. Can you stop acting like a shrew? She was just diagnosed with depression. What’s wrong with me comforting her?” Looking at his self-righteous expression, I smiled. “Fine. Since your bond is so unbreakable, I won’t play the villain.” That very night, I drafted a withdrawal agreement and halted the arrangements I had been making with a top-tier overseas medical team for his mother. “The wedding is off. Don’t expect me to keep patching up your bankrupt company, and don’t expect me to save your mother either. “Your youth is precious—I hope you can afford to pay the price to keep it so.”

In the fifth year of my spiritual practice, my phone suddenly exploded with messages. [Aria, why aren't you replying? Are you really that petty?] Puzzled, I opened Messenger, and froze. My cousin, who never seemed to measure up to me and always went out of her way to oppose me, was getting married, and she expected me to attend. "Sorry, I've been busy lately. I won't be able to make it," I replied politely. However, my courteous response only fueled their ridicule. "Stop pretending! You haven't kept in touch with your family for years. Are you too embarrassed because your life is such a mess?" "She won't even come to her own cousin's wedding? How heartless!" "Let me guess, the real reason she can't come is she can't afford a wedding gift." One cutting remark after another appeared, until Betty Stewart stepped in, feigning concern. "Come on, don't be so harsh on Aria. We're family, after all." "If she's really struggling, I could ask my husband to help her get a cleaning job." Then she sent me the digital invitation, the gold lettering gleaming. When I saw the groom's name, my pupils constricted in shock. Joseph Clark? Wasn't he the short-lived husband who had spent three years sucking up to me just to extend his life?

His hand pressed against the wall beside my head, his breath hot against my ear. “You’re blushing again, professor,” Ace whispered, his voice low, sinful. I swallowed, trying to steady myself, but my body betrayed me, arching towards him, aching for more. “You’re too close,” I managed, my voice unsteady. He smirked, brushing his lips over my jaw, slow and deliberate. “Then tell me to stop.” I should have. God, I should have... Instead, I tangled my fingers in his hair and pulled him to me. His mouth crashed over mine, hungry and rough, and the world outside his disappeared. I thought living with him would be the worst decision of my life. Turns out, it might be the hottest. -- -- -- I needed a roommate. What I got was Ace, tattooed, arrogant, and infuriatingly gorgeous. He breezed into my apartment like he owned it, with that cocky smile and a body that makes focusing on my studies nearly impossible. The walls are thin. Too thin. Every night, I hear things I shouldn’t. And worse… I start fantasizing about things I shouldn't. I tell myself that he’s a distraction I can’t afford but when he offers to tutor me in things that have nothing to do with textbooks, I’m not sure I can resist. One touch. One kiss. One lesson I’ll never forget. Living with Ace was meant to be temporary. Falling for him? That was never part of the plan.

“You say the child belongs to your stepbrother.” Aston’s gaze flicked to the sleeping boy, then back to her. “Is that what everyone believes?” Aria’s jaw tightened. “Why do you ask?” His lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile. “Curiosity.” Five years ago, Aria Griffin was drugged by her own family and forced into her stepbrother’s bed. By morning, the scandal had destroyed her reputation… and everyone believed it was her fault. She was disgraced and disowned, and had to be flown away to hide from the public. For five years, Aria lived quietly overseas under her grandfather’s protection… until the day he summoned her back. This time, she isn’t returning alone. She has a son. And a marriage waiting for her. Everyone believed the child she carried was proof of her shame. Her husband, Aston Beaumont, is powerful, calculating, and far too interested in a woman the entire city believes was ruined by her own stepbrother. But Aria quickly discovers the truth. Aston didn’t marry her out of duty. He married her for revenge. While her husband secretly plots to destroy her grandfather, Aria must protect the one thing she cannot afford to lose, her child. And as old scandals resurface, the stepbrother who once destroyed her reputation has no intention of letting her go again. But the biggest secret of all… The child isn’t who anyone thinks he is. And everyone who underestimated Aria is about to regret it.

"Sheltered her entire life, Jubilee Thornton yearns to spread her wings and fly after a childhood marked by illness. Her first goal? To attract the attention of the handsome schoolteacher she’s had a crush on for years, Heath DiMarco. One fateful night, Jubilee throws caution to the wind and kisses Heath—until he pushes her away and tells her they can never be together. Heartbroken, Jubilee vows to forget Heath and live the life she’s always wanted. In a fit of inspiration, she creates a list of resolutions: to go skinny-dipping, to go on dates, and to finally lose her virginity. Heath DiMarco moved to the small town of Fair Haven seven years ago to escape the memories of his past. Now a well-respected elementary school teacher, he can’t afford to have a dalliance with the youngest sister of his best friend, no matter how much that single kiss on Halloween night shook his world. That is until Heath finds Jubilee’s list of risqué resolutions. He can’t bear the thought of her with any man but him. Yet he knows he can’t have her himself. Instead, Heath decides he’ll vet the men Jubilee wants to date. Jubilee agrees, but only if he teaches her how to flirt—and how to kiss. He knows he should tell her no, but he can’t resist the temptation she presents. As desire heats to a roaring flame between them, secrets threaten everything they both hold dear. Unless they untangle themselves from a dangerous web of lies, they will face heartbreak—or be transformed by a passionate love."

Eira Silverclaw’s heart shattered as she stood before the man she had given everything to—the man she had loved, trusted, and sacrificed for. For three years, she had poured her soul into their marriage, taking on responsibilities beyond her own, all for the sake of their pack’s future. But now, on the third anniversary of their union, everything she had worked for was crumbling in an instant. Her husband, Alpha Kieran Blackthorn, was no longer the man she had married. The pride in his eyes as he gazed at the woman he brought home—his mistress, pregnant with his child—was a dagger to her heart. The audacity of his words, cold and calculated, rang in her ears. “She is pregnant with our child. Since you couldn’t afford to give birth for three years, her child will be ours too. The three of us. Now, you should refer to her as a younger sister.” Her breath caught in her throat. "Shameless." The word echoed in her mind, but she couldn’t speak it aloud. What could she say? Her world was falling apart, and he was only adding salt to the wound. With her marriage falling apart, Eira wasn’t the type to let anyone decide her fate—not even the man who had once been everything to her. “Marry me, Magnus Ironfang.” She looked into the eyes of her husband’s most dangerous rival—the cursed Alpha of the North. Cold, ruthless, and feared by all, Magnus was the last man anyone would expect her to turn to. But with her marriage in ruins and her heart broken, what did she have left to lose?

“You’re useless.” I lift my head, wrists aching where the rope bites into skin already numb from the cold. My father stands over me, his shadow long and sharp in the firelight spilling from the clearing behind him. I can hear the celebration. My sister’s laughter. The pack chanting her name. “I tried,” I say. My voice cracks, and I hate it for that alone. “I did everything you asked.” He scoffs. “Everything?” His gaze drags over me like I’m something rotten. “If you’d done anything right, your mother would still be alive.” My chest burns, each breath a knife. “She chose—” “She died because of you,” he snaps. “Because you were too weak to protect yourself. Too weak to be worth the trouble.” I swallow, tasting blood. “I’m your daughter.” “No,” he says coldly. “You’re a reminder of my failure.” He turns away, already done with me. “Be grateful I’m hiding you instead of killing you. An Alpha can’t afford dead weight.” The rope tightens as he knots it higher, out of reach. He doesn’t look back. Behind him, the pack howls in celebration. I lower my head and let the tears fall silently into the dirt because crying is the only thing they haven’t taken from me yet. But as the night deepens and the forest breathes around me, something else stirs—slow and patient. They call me useless. One day, they’ll choke on that word.

Valentine Stephens never believed in fairy tales, but during times as dire as these, one takes what he can. With her brother's life hanging by a thread and medical bills she could never, ever afford to pay, she makes an impulsive decision to marry Adrian Sebastian, the ruthless CEO and business tycoon, who needs a wife for only one purpose: to inherit his grandfather's billion-dollar fortune. The arrangement is simple. One year, no feelings or complications. Hard, cold Adrian makes his intentions clear from the start. He doesn't have faith in love, and Val is merely a pawn used in his game. Val's college experience is transformed into a nightmare when her billionaire husband is exposed, and she becomes the target of gossip, jealousy, and scandal. she's betrayed by her best friend, and stalked by an unknown enemy hell-bent on destroying her. His half-brother, Damian, is eager to get his hands on his inheritance and will do whatever it takes to destroy the marriage. And just as Val is beginning to believe she knows Adrian, she finds out a secret that shattered all she knew about him. Adrian hadn't chosen her at random. He had known her the whole time. And the real reason he married her? It is a secret so dangerous it was capable of killing them both. Trapped in a lie, Val is presented with an ultimatum: walk away and forfeit everything, or fight fire with fire against the man who holds her heart and liberty in his hands. But what if the biggest enemy she will have to fight against is the man she is starting to fall in love with? Find out in the book.

“Are you going to kill me?” Shawn whispered. Owen’s fingers slid up his throat, squeezing lightly as he backed him against the wall. “If I wanted you dead, you wouldn’t still be talking.” Shawn swallowed hard. “Then what do you want?” His mouth curved, giving him that dangerous rugged smile. “I’m deciding.” *** That morning, Shawn only wanted to finish his shift, collect his pay, and get back to the real problems waiting for him outside the hotel: tuition he couldn’t afford, a mother dying in a hospital bed, and a younger sister who still believed he could fix everything. Then he walked into the wrong suite. There was blood on white sheets. Fangs buried deep in a dying man’s throat. Crimson eyes meeting his across the room. The creature should have killed him. But no, it didn't. It let him run. Now it’s everywhere. In his dreams, his space and in his thoughts. Watching him. Waiting… And just when he thinks the nightmare can’t follow him into daylight, he learns. The vampire has a name. Owen Rothwell de Valemont, as old as history. And he’s Shawn’s new boss. Owen doesn’t chase him. He doesn’t threaten. He simply moves closer, adjusting the world around Shawn until escape becomes impossible. And Shawn, fear should drive him away. Instead it turns into something darker. Something harder to resist.

During the school holidays, I took my daughter to a park. I had barely entered the park entrance with my daughter when a supercar crossed the solid line and rear-ended us. The man who jumped out came storming toward me, furious. "Do you even know how to drive? Do you know how much this car costs? You can't afford it even if you went bankrupt!" I was about to argue back since he was clearly the one breaking traffic rules. But I froze. That car looked painfully familiar. Wasn't that the supercar my mother gave me the first year I took over the Milton Group? Even the license plate was identical. My wife, Hazel Bishop, had told me the engine was broken and that she'd sent it to the dealership for repairs. I met the man's arrogant stare. "Is this car really yours?" He paused, then grinned smugly. "My wife bought it for me. It's limited-edition. Someone like you wouldn't understand. Go call your family and sell your house. You owe me 200 thousand dollars." Sneering, he added, "Don't try anything clever. My wife's the GM of Milton Group. She has serious connections. She'll be here any minute." I let out a cold laugh. So Hazel canceled on our daughter today, not because of a business meeting, but because she was out spending the holiday with her lover and his kid instead.